School Counselor Blog

2010 has been an exciting and eventful year for School Counselor Blog . In 2010, I created podcasts (including a video podcast), hosted a contest, wrote guest blog posts for other education blogs, and much, much more. When thinking about all School Counselor Blog accomplished for 2010, I am so excited about the future possibilities!  Below I outlined 10 of my favorite posts from 2010 and why they made the list. Plan to Be Surprised Plan to Be Surprised is about planning your day, but also being adaptable. Plan to Be Surprised is one of my favorite posts of 2010 because "plan to be surprised," is something I tell myself daily.  Sometimes I have my whole day planned out and have some pretty high expectations of what I am going to fit into my day.  Then, a crisis happen.  An unexpected event can rearrange your whole day... and that's ok.  Thankfully, not everyday includes a crisis. However, adaptability a very important trait to have as a school counselor!...

Thank you to all of my readers who make my spirits bright year round! I greatly appreciated all of your questions, comments, and feedback throughout the year! I hope you all have wonderful and relaxing break! Happy Holidays from School Counselor Blog ! Danielle is a K-12 Certified School Counselor, Nationally Certified Counselor, and blogger at  School Counselor Blog , a blog where school counselors can share innovative ideas,  creative lesson plans,  and quality resources.  Contact Danielle via  email , follow her on  twitter , and become a fan of the  School Counselor Blog Facebook Page .

Congratulations! If you are reading this, you have tackled one of the most difficult parts of job searching, getting an interview. The following post was inspired by reader who asked for tips for an upcoming interview.  If you are searching for a job or will be on the lookout soon, check out my post Make Connections! I describe how networking is a key part of advancing your career as a professional school counselor. Below are tips for interviewing for a position as a school counselor.  Do you have school counselor interview tips? Comment below,  email me ,  tweet , or share on the  School Counselor Blog Facebook Page ! Do Your Homework My number one piece of advice is to research the school and district before the interview. What is the population (rural, suburban, urban, high poverty, moderate, poverty, etc)? Has the school been in the news media for anything noteworthy (awards, grants, etc)? How does the school/district perform on state tests? The m...

While holiday shopping, I saw many items featuring my favorite Christmas character,  Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer . Amid the nostalgia I was feeling for good old Rudolph, I was reminded of a conference I attended at the beginning of the calendar year.  One of the speakers mentioned using popular art and media to teach classroom lessons.  The speaker mentioned that  Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer   could be used to teach lessons about bullying.  After watching  Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer  as a school counselor, it is alarming how much bullying is in  Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer . Talking to students about bullying using  Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer  is powerful because it is popular media that they may have already seen before, but may not have identified as bullying behavior. The overall lesson from the movie is to be true to yourself and accepting others.  "How Can You Overlook That?" Rud...

'Tis the season for December graduations, school counseling internships coming to an end, and holiday gift giving! I decided to make a series of gift idea guides to take the guesswork out of gift giving for school counselors. The following gift ideas are suggestions for school counseling interns, graduate students, and new school counselors. The gifts ideas mentioned would make great gifts for anytime, not just the holidays! All of the items I mention have either received as a gift or I have purchased myself. A Book that Keeps on Giving When I was an intern, one of my site supervisors gave me  The Giving Tree   by Shel Silverstein as a gift.  The Giving Tree   is  a powerful book about friendship. I greatly appreciated the book because it was not only a thoughtful gift I enjoyed reading, but it was something I could (and do!) share with students.  I have used  The Giving Tree   in individual sessions and classroom lessons about f...